The language and understanding of emotions are foreign to many who are trained in logic and objectivity. I address topics that would have helped me if I had understood them earlier in my life. I hope to demystify this language by putting it into a context, words, and displays that an engineer would understand. I hope the reader will gain insights that have a positive impact on his or her life.

20 June 2010

Snoring, Sleep Apnea, and Happy Father's Day

Men have their struggles and so do women. The guys have historically had it better in the job market, while women live longer. Trade offs are everywhere. One place where men do get the short end of the stick is with snoring and sleep apnea.

I snore and have sleep apnea. It has caused a number of problems in my life. Here's my story, but first some definitions:Snoring - making excessive noise while asleep during breathing. It can emanate from the nose or throat and is caused by partial obstruction in the air passages.Sleep apnea or obstructive sleep apnea - obstruction during inhalation while sleeping. The word is from the Greek roots a: wihout, and pnea: air (same root as pneumatic and pneumonia).

I have a history of snoring dating back about 12 - 15 years. I probably snored some before that, but more sporadically. Over the years, my snoring got worse and worse. I slept on my side, face, changed position, etc. All those measures helped--for a while.

I began to sleep really hot. I would wake up and my sheets or nightshirts and pillow would be drenched in sweat. I became a serious head sweater. I did not link it to any underlying problem. It was just some weird sweating thing I did.

Finally, my wife had enough of the snoring and I went to see an otolarygologist. He told me I had three things going against me: I'm male, I'm not young anymore, and I could stand to lose a few pounds. I also got a sleep study. That is where they hook up sensors that measure heart rate, respiration, and other functions. They told me I had mild sporadic sleep apnea. Since there was nothing I could do about maleness or age, I embarked on a weight loss approach by reducing fat, exercising, etc.

I really tried, but just could not lose the weight. In fact I gained. Somewhere around his time we moved to California. My weight continued to climb, my blood pressure increased, I would feel a need to doze in the afternoons, and driving lfor more than an hour or so could be a real problem for me because I would get very sleepy. I had a persistent headache. Not bad, but it would not go away.

It changed my life. The headaches went away immediately. I woke up with a dry pillow. I had less drowsiness problems during the day. Unfortunately, the noise from the machine and air leaking, etc bothered my wife almost as much as the snoring, so the noise has continued to be a problem in our lives. We do not sleep together as much as either of us would like. I am still working on my weight and have made good progress. I have found that when I get my weight below 200 lbs, snoring and apnea are hardly a problem.

I have gotten several consultations and found that in my case, because of the configuration of my tongue and throat, I would need fairly major surgery to fix it. There is a fairly low percentage of success, and if it fails, the CPAP machine would no longer be effective. So my best choice is to continue with the CPAP and lose weight in order to get it out of the bedroom.

Why Care?
I think of snoring as pre-apnea. If you snore you may not have sleep apena, but if you have sleep apena you probably snore. Snoring by itself is not a health risk. Only when it continues to sleep apnea does it cause severe health problems.

The sleep apnea cycle looks something like this:
1. You begin to fall asleep
2. Your throat muscles relax, closing the airway in the throat
3. Breathing stops
4. You wake up because you are suffocating

This causes hormonal changes (including excessive cortisol) and bad sleep patterns. Which lead to all sorts of problems.

Some common symptoms of sleep apnea include:

Restless sleep

Excessive sweating at night

Loud, heavy snoring often interrupted by silence and gasps

Drowsiness or lack of energy, caused by the lack of sleep

Headaches in the morning

Irritability, forgetfulness, mood or behavior changes

Anxiety or depression

Sore throat in the morning

It is believed that sleep apnea leads to other problems including:

Causes bodily changes that lead to Hypertension or high blood pressure

Consider other treatments for apnea. There are dental appliances that reposition your jaw at night, and a wide range of surgeries from minimally invasive to major jaw reconstructions. These surgeries can also work for simple snoring, but you have to question whether the cure is more dangerous than the condition at that point. Also, when snoring is caused by nasal obstructions (e.g. deviated septum), it can sometimes be fixed with surgery.

Since this is mainly a male disorder, I want to encourage partners of men with sleep disorders to encourage them to do the above. It could be the best Father's Day present they'll ever get.

Also for partners of snorers, if the noise is a problem with or without treatment, try earplugs or a white noise machine. Sleeping together is a good form of physical intimacy.

13 comments:

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Snoring is a very common sleep issue that keeps a lot of people from getting the proper rest they need. A lack of sleep can be problematic, leaving you feel tired and sluggish all day."" I can personally recommend a very good product which helps us relieve from snoring. The product is asonor. Asonor nose drops effectively remove the cause of snoring. It is a plain and simple treatment, which relives you of the inconvenience that snoring causes.The cost of Asonor 2 Bottles (2*30 ml.) is 1-€39.00 only

Most people snore sometimes, if not all the time. Some snore loudly, some just purr.Snoring can be prevented from anti snoring medicines.Snoring is caused when there is an obstruction to the free flow of air in the back of the throat and or nose.Snoring can cause serious social, psychological, physical and medical problems and should not be taken too lightly.a snorer may feel ostracised, embarrassed or even victimized for something that is really totally beyond his or her control.Snoring takes place when the airways are blocked,Snoring is an occasional occurrence that may happen during all ages and stages of life.Heavy snoring can be a sign of a problem or a warning of problems to come.snoring is neither funny nor hopeless.For more details refer the website www.asonor.com

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